How Chrome became the Most Popular Web Browser in the world?

Karthik Srivijay
Sep 8, 2018 · 3 min read

A very Descriptive Article about how Google Chrome came to the #1

What on Earth? Wikipedia says “59.69% of the web population uses Google Chrome”. Most of the people use Google Chrome for browsing your feed, watching cat videos and stalking others, Every browser does that but why Google Chrome? Google Chrome debuted on September 2008 and in a jiffy Chrome has become the most widely used Web Browser in 2016. Why? Not because you can watch anime or scroll through Taylor Swift’s photos but due to its power. Power? Like Superman? Nope, it’s usability.

Theory One:

Google released most of its code as an open-source project named Chromium(That was an obvious name, wasn’t it?). So, this attracted programmers and web developers such as myself to tinker its kernel and make it better to use or personalized. If interested to do so, then go on and clone the repo: “git clone http://chromium.googlesource.com/chromium/src”

Theory Two:

This is kinda a sequel to Theory One but here you go: Google Chrome was not just an efficient browser(More on that on Theory Three) but it was also a Developer Friendly Browser. I use it all the time for testing any new website I am creating. It can emulate PhoneUX, Test Responsive Websites in both orientation, Check the log of time delay, Complete network tree layout. Just remember it’s very useful in a development environment.

Theory Three:

Thought of putting some other chart about the performance but got scared of copyright issues. So, I tested each and everything myself. The test rig was a MacBook Pro-Intel i7–16 GB RAM.

macOS:

  1. Google Chrome
  2. Safari
  3. Mozilla Firefox

(Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer do not support macOS).

Windows:

  1. Google Chrome
  2. Microsoft Edge
  3. Mozilla Firefox
  4. Internet Explorer
  5. Apple Safari.

Linux(Ubuntu):

  1. Google Chrome
  2. Mozilla Firefox

(Linux doesn’t support Edge, IE or Safari).

So, the clear winner here is Google Chrome.

Conclusion:

So, that’s my opinion on how Google Chrome captures a space in everyone’s task-bar and blew Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft Edge away. Do you feel like you gained some knowledge? If “Yes”, then thank you so much! If “No”, Sorry for wasting your time. Thanks to Medium for providing such an amazing opportunity for sharing my part-time research! Remember, Be. Smart.

Karthik Srivijay

Written by

Just a typical guy who writes some code. Fan of Linus Torvalds, Annie Leibovitz’s Photography and Stephen Hawking’s Theories. Open Source Freak.

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade